as in pile
a quantity of wood heaped together for burning a dead body
a funeral pyre
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Recent Examples of pyre
Thecla is stripped naked and placed on a pyre, but no flames touch her.
—
Christy Cobb, The Conversation, 16 Jan. 2026
By analyzing the bones and pyre sediments, researchers believe that hunter-gatherers cremated the body of a woman about 9,500 years ago, according to their study published Thursday in the journal Science Advances.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 6 Jan. 2026
At Mount Hora, archaeologists discovered the oldest human cremation in Africa and the oldest in situ adult pyre in the world.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 4 Jan. 2026
In the dry California hills, an intentional community tries to build a pyre for one of its own, and, in the complex and mendacious aftermath, may end up sort of burning down the nation-state.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pyre
Christy Cobb, The Conversation, 16 Jan. 2026
By analyzing the bones and pyre sediments, researchers believe that hunter-gatherers cremated the body of a woman about 9,500 years ago, according to their study published Thursday in the journal Science Advances.
—Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 6 Jan. 2026
At Mount Hora, archaeologists discovered the oldest human cremation in Africa and the oldest in situ adult pyre in the world.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 4 Jan. 2026
In the dry California hills, an intentional community tries to build a pyre for one of its own, and, in the complex and mendacious aftermath, may end up sort of burning down the nation-state.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 14 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pyre
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pyre
Noun
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The surge in crude prices unleashed by the Middle East conflict upends that and piles further pressure on the public finances.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
18 Mar. 2026
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The story follows struggling creatives navigating debt, eviction threats and a precarious gig economy, visualized in Riley’s inventive style — from looming piles of eviction notices to characters literally struggling up and down steep inclines that mirror the instability of their lives.—
Deborah Sengupta Stith,
Austin American Statesman,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Coleman did not mention Vance in his public remarks on March 10, which included heaps of praise on Vance’s boss.—
Joseph Strauss,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Mar. 2026
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The sheer wave of Payton favorites re-upping on minimum deals — tight end Nate Adkins, fullback Adam Prentice, receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey, running back Jaleel McLaughlin — has washed in heaps of online vitriol from Denver’s own fanbase.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
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True to form, it was nestled in between his smartphone and stacks of paper on a wooden desk in front of him during his confirmation hearing on March 18.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
19 Mar. 2026
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And not just from downing nootropic stacks and Chinese peptides, the latest tech-world fad drugs.—
Joe Hagan,
Vanity Fair,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Guests can trek with the chef into neighboring farmland to forage alongside the Hmong hill tribe for wild herbs such as mint, butterfly pea flowers, mushrooms, and acacia leaves.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Mar. 2026
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If time is not a factor at all, then linger on the rolling hills in front of the park’s amphitheater for fun people and dog watching.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Anyone who has buttered and blitzed a mountain of mashed potatoes into a purée will understand.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2026
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Here revelers can soak up the sun, nibble on snacks from Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s J&G Grill (which houses a decadent 13,000-bottle wine cellar), or take in the panorama of the mountains above or the scene at the multilevel heated pool below.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pyre.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pyre. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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